New Report Says 97% of Auto Mechanics Can’t Work on Electric Cars

Recently published studies from the UK’s Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) revealed that as many as 97% of active auto mechanics aren’t qualified to work on electric cars. Worse, of that 3% that is qualified, the vast majority of them are employed at manufacturer’s dealerships, presenting prospective EV buyers with very limited service options. In addition to limiting the options for electric car buyers, the lack of qualified techs is also posing a problem for regulators. Simply put: if you don’t have anyone to work on EVs, how will you keep them running once they’re all that’s allowed? Sure, there’s a long time between now and the proposed 2040 ICE cutoff date– and plenty of time for techs to get ready. Even so, London’s bus fleet is almost fully electric by now, and other major cities around the world are similarly electrifying their transportation fleets. What will municipalities have to do to attract talent away from the dealers? And, lest you think this is strictly a European concern, there are plenty of American repair shops that are asking the same questions. “People are freaking out,” auto mechanic Craig Van Batenburg told the Chicago Tribune last year, noting that some of the resistance to electric car training is strongest in the American Midwest. Resistance that, he believes, was propelled by early rumors of technicians being electrocuted by electric vehicles. “Ninety percent of our industry has done nothing — absolutely nothing to prepare. They just turn the hybrids and EVs away… [Read full story]